A 25-year-old man has been found guilty of murder after he stabbed another man in Milton Keynes.

Lee Sopp, of Daniels Welch, Milton Keynes, stabbed and killed 22-year-old Mohamud Hashi, also from Milton Keynes, on December 11 last year, in an area of woodland near to the footbridge that leads to Fishermead from Milton Keynes town centre.

A post-mortem examination determined Mr Hashi’s cause of death as a stab wound to the right thigh.

Sopp was arrested on December 12 and charged on December 15.

He was found guilty by unanimous jury of murder today (October 20) following a 10-day trial at Luton Crown Court.

He was found not guilty by unanimous jury of aggravated burglary and wounding/inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.

At a previous hearing on June 29, Sopp pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of an offensive weapon and one count each of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A, namely diamorphine; possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A, namely crack cocaine; and possession of criminal property.

He is due to be sentenced at Luton Crown Court on October 22.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Mike Roddy, of the Major Crime Unit, said: “I would like to thank Mohamud Hashi’s family for their support throughout this investigation and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult and challenging time.

“They are now all too aware of the devastating impact violent crimes can have on families, friends and the local community having lost their son, brother and friend at the hands of someone who chose to carry a weapon.

“Tackling serious violence is a priority for Thames Valley Police and we remain committed to ensuring that offenders are brought to justice.”